A Self-Reliant Robot

In technical terms, you're looking at a "Full-Body Visual Self-Modeling of Robot Morphologies." Trained with a deep neural network, using feedback from 5 cameras, this robot created a self-model which it uses to to plan motion, reach goals, and avoid obstacles in a variety of situations. It even automatically recognized and then compensated for damage to its body. One of the many breakthroughs is this is a full body self-image, not simply the extension at the end of its arm -- which both gives it freedom to avoid collisions and adaptability in new situations.

The ability of robots to model themselves without being assisted by engineers is important for many reasons: Not only does it save engineering labor, but it also allows the robot to keep up with its own wear-and-tear, and even detect and compensate for damage. The authors argue that this ability is important as we need autonomous systems to be more self-reliant. A factory robot, for instance, could detect that something isn’t moving right, and compensate or call for assistance.

Видео A Self-Reliant Robot канала Columbia Engineering